WEEKLY MAHJONG

By Tom Sloper
June 29, 2008Column #370

American Mah-Jongg (2008 NMJL card).
Defense by the numbers, part 6. An opponent had previously exposed a kong of sixes. Now she exposes a second kong. It's a kong of number tiles, and it's not in the same suit as the first kong. In each of the ten possible cases (illustrated below), what should you do? Would you notice right away, or be too busy studying your own?

1. This is exactly the same as case 6 in part 1 of this series (column 361). No such hand. Call her dead.

6. Ain't no such beast. Your best move is to say "you're dead" in an ever so nice way.

7. The most popular section of the card: Consecutive Runs. Hand #5 this time. This time the evil triumvirate is 3B 4B 5B. Don't mess with'em if you know what's good for you. (Oh, all right, if one of those is already dead, it's okay to discard, and if you're waiting and feel like risking it, that's your decision to make.)

8. Are you looking in 2468? Well fuhgedaboudit. This one's in Consec. Runs, Mister Perennial Favorite himself: hand #2. The hot tiles are 5B 7D.

9. Two possibilities, both of'em in 369. If she's working hand #1, the hot tiles are F 3C. If she's doing #2, 3D and 6B are hot.

10. Call her dead. If she thinks she's working on 369 #3, she's wrong.